Antislip device



March 17, 1931. Room-louse ANTISLIP DEVI GE Filed March 1, 1929 nbezptolf' I ovk surface.

Patented Mar. 17, 1931 UNITED STATES BENJAMIN T. ROODHOUSE, 0F WILMETTE, ILLINOIS AN'I'ISLIP DEVICE Application filed March 1, 1929. Serial No. 343,777.

v My present invention relates to the provision of anti-slip devices, and more particularly the provision of such devices which may be applied to overshoes and shoes.

Ordinary rubber overshoes provide in a great many instances a fair degree of friction to prevent slipping, but with ice, and especially ice covered with water, orwhere the pavement is covered with a sludge which'acts as a. lubricant, ordinary rubber overshoes are not entirely dependable in preventing slipp It? has been my object to provide such antislipping facilities in a form which can be attached either to the hole and heel of a shoe directly or to the sole and heel of an overshoe, and when so attache-d will not produce irregularities upon the surface of the sole which render walking unpleasant or in any way different from normal. I

It has also been my desire to provide an anti-slipping device which will not cut in to rugs and floors when the wearer goes indoors and of such a simple and economical construction that they may be pulled off or cut off, if desired, and new devices employed when occasion for their use arises.

In attaining the foregoing objects I have realized that a conglomerate of materials of different hardness cannot by the wear incident to walking, be rendered smooth, and I take a coarse abradant such as torpedo sand and agglomerate the same w h a cementitious material which will withstand the dissolving effects of water, such as a setting or vulcanizable rubber compound, such amass in itself when set or vulcanized has considerable toughness and wears so as to continually provide projections of the abradant from its Thin sheets of this material may be further reinforced by pressing them into and vulcanizing them upon a fabrlc backing so as to .provide ,a sheet comparable in thickness with a heavy paper or cardboard. This sheet cut in convenient form is cemented with a suitable cement to the sole of the overshoe or rubber or shoe, which is preferably cleaned and slightly roughened before the applica tion of the anti-slip patch or plaster.

In the accompanying drawing- Fig. 1 is a plan of a desirable form for such an anti-slip patch or plaster, and

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on line 22 of 1lc ig. 1 drawn to a greatly exaggerated sca e.

The cementitious medium 3 whichv holds the particles of the abradant 4 is slightly yielding, which, to some extent, prevents the grinding away of the abradant but nevertheless keeps the particles of the abradant in yielding contact with the surface against which they are presented, which is all that is necessary to prevent, in most instances, a lateral movement between the patch and the surface of the pavement. In the drawing'I have designated a bric backing by the character 5, but such an element is not essential to an operative structure. The yielding nature of the cementitious medium preserves the life of the patch or plaster, one of which'under ordinary circumstances and use will last for several days. The expense of such a patch or plaster is so small that they can be readily renewed when desired, and, if necessary, or desirable, the patches may be pulled or cut from the soles of the shoes or overshoes.

I have shown the patches in the form of equilateral triangles, which have proved handy as they may be easily arranged in desired patterns upon the ball of the foot and the heel. When applied to the heel of the shoe it is convenient to face an apex of the triangle forwardly, but when applied to an overshoe or rubber the apex is more advantageously faced rearwardly to follow the rounding contour of the rear of the heels of overshoes or rubbers, as they are now generally made.

Many excellent cements and setting and vulcanizable compounds have already been developed in connection with the repairing of rubber vehicle tires, which can be obtained upon the market.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A calking element for application to footwear comprising a thin body of restricted area compared to the sole portion to which it is to be applied, said body having straight edged portions so that when the element is applied to a sole portion it will present shoulders extending therefrom, and composed of vulcanized rubber having imbedded therein throughout its mass articles of abrasive material held in spaced relation by the rubber.

BENJAMIN T. ROODHOUSE. 

